Miniature tennis game



July 13, 1948. J. NA' I'CHUK MNIATURE TENNIS GAME Filed May 2, 1946|N\IENTOR J 0114 A AT CHI/K I M u $M ATTORNEY Patented July 13, 1948UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MINIATURE TENNIS GAME John Natchuk, EastIslip, N. Y. Application May 2, 1946, Serial No. 666,750

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved game.

It is an object of the invention to provide a game having many points ofsimilarity with tenhis or table tennis and which will afford amusementand entertainment to the players. My game has the advantage that it ismore compact in form than tennis or table tennis and also the ball iscaptive and cannot escape from the playing area.

Other objects will be apparent from the accompanying drawing in which-Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of game embodying'my invention,and

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing a paddle which may be used inplaying my game. I

My game comprises a ball 5 mounted on the upper end of an elongatedresilient spring member 8, which, in turn, is suitably supported on abase 1.

The ball 5 is preferably made of resilient material and may be similarto a table tennis ball or may be an air or gas filled ball having arubber, Celluloid or other similar casing. The elongated spring member 6may be made of any suitable spring material strong enough to normallysupport the ball in upright position but resilient enough to permit theball to swing back and forth when in play. For this purpose I have foundthat spring wire such as hard drawn music wire produces satisfactoryresults. The spring wire is suitably attached to the ball as by beingvulcanized in the rubber casing, embedded in the Celluloid or otherwisefastened thereto. At its lower end the spring member 6 is mountedadjacent the central portion of the base I as by being extended throughor inserted in an aperture formed therein. It will be appreciated thatthe base may be made of any suitable material such as wood.

Adjacent the two side edges of the base I provide a pair of uprights orstandards 8 which may be in the form of wood dowels and at the upperends of the two uprights I provide the nets 9 which may be made offabric mesh and which extend towards each other in the same plane andobstruct a portion of the area between the uprights. The outer edges ofthe nets may be provided with loop-like hems 19 into which the ends ofthe standards are inserted and the inner edges of the nets are providedwith fabric or cloth borders H. The nets are supported in the mannershown extending in a plane between the two standards by means of a cordor a wire [2 stretched between the upper ends of the nets. I preferablyreenforce or stiffen the nets by means of a suitable stiffening agentsuch as a lacquer applied to the nets and the cloth borders. When inoperating position the two nets should be located a short distance fromthe two sides of the ball 5 and at such a height that if the ball isswung to the sides it will engage the nets.

In using my game the base is placed upon a table such as a ping pongtable and the players are each provided with a paddle similar to a tabletennis paddle such as shown at 13 in Fig. 2. The ball may be placed inplay by being pulled against the tension of the spring wire to one sideof the nets and then released so that it swings between the nets to theother side. Each of the players in turn then strikes the ball with thepaddle and attempts to drive it back to the opposite side of the nets.If either of the players fails to hit the ball or if he fails to driveit back to the other side of the net he, of course, loses a point. Anytype of scoring may be employed in playing the game such as thatemployed in tennis or table tennis. The game may also be played withdifierent types of paddles, racquets, or bats or may be played manuallyby being struck with the hand or fist.

It will thus be seen that I have provided an improved game embodyingmany of the features of tennis and table tennis which afiords amusementand entertainment and which has the advantage of being compact and soarranged that the ball cannot escape from the playing area.Modifications may be made in the illustrated embodiment of my inventionwithout departing from the invention as set forth in the accompanyingclaims.

I claim:

1. In a ball game, a base member, an elongated spring wire mounted inupright position adjacent the center of the base member and having aball supported at the upper end thereof, a pair of standards mountedadjacent the two sides of the base member and a pair of nets supportedfrom said standards a short distance from the two opposite sides of theball, said spring wire being sufficiently strong to support the ball inupright position but being resilient enough to permit the ball to swingback and forth when in play.

2. In a ball game the combination of a pair of nets, means supportingthe nets in spaced relationship and at substantially the same height andin the same vertical plane, a ball and flexible means supporting theball so that it is normally held between the nets but so that it mayswing back and forth.

JOHN NATCHUK.

Name Date Widger Sept. 3, 1889 Yaggi Oct. 29, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTSCountry Date Great Britain Oct. 8, 1925 Great Britain July 26. 1934Number Number

